eterinary  Medicine 

and 

Its  Opportunities 


Surgery  and  Clinic  Building 


Agricultural  College  Bulletin 

SUPPLEMENT 

Vol.  XHI East  Lansing,  Mich.,  May,   '19  No.  10 

Published  Monthly 
By  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College 

Entered  at  the  postoffice,  East  Lansing,  Mich. 
as  second  class  matter. 


Veterinary  Medicine 

and  its 

Opportunities 


Selecting  a  vocation  is  frequently  most  trying  and  difficult 
for  young  men.  It  is  to  inform  those  unfamiliar  with  the 
veterinary  profession  and  opportunities  afforded  in  the 
veterinary  course  at  Michigan  Agricultural  College  that 
prompts  the  issuance  of  this  publication. 


Valuation  in  Husbandry 

The  following  figures  will  serve  to  show  something  of  the 
relation  the  field  of  veterinary  medicine  bears  to  animal 
husbandry  and,  further,  that  the  profession  offers  attractive 
opportunity  for  rendering  service  to  humanity;  something  of 


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the  ability  of  the  profession  to  cope  with  existing  conditions 
and  that  the  task  of  maintaining  health  and  preventing 
diseases  among  live  stock  rests  largely  upon  the  adequately 
equipped  veterinarian.  That  live  stock  is  on  the  increase  in 
the  United  States  is  shown  from  figures  of  the  past  year: 
horses  increased  353,000;  mules  101,000;  cattle  2,247,000; 
sheep  1,284,000  and  swine  3,871,000;  adding  an  increased 
valuation  of  $1,527,912,000  and  bringing  the  grand  total 
invested  in  our  animal  husbandry  to  $8,263,524,000. 

Loss  from  Disease 

The  annual  losses  have  averaged  three  to  four  percent  on 
the  live  stock  investment  or  an  aggregate  considerably  in 
excess  of  $210,000,000;  and  it  is  estimated  that  80%  of  this 
direct  yearly  disease  toll  can  be  avoided  by  adequate  control 
measures  and  intelligent  veterinary  service.  Among  the 
responsibilities  in  disease  prevention  and  eradication  resting 
upon  intelligent  and  capable  veterinary  medicine  include 
annual  losses  from  hog  cholera,  averaging  for  the  past  forty 
years  a  sum  amounting  to  $30,000,000;  southern  cattle  fever 
robbing  the  food  and  leather  supply  of  a  direct  annual  sum 
exceeding  $40,000,000;  tuberculosis  $25,000,000;  diseases  of 
breeding  animals  $20,000,000;  parasitic  diseases  $22,000,000 
and  many  other  animal  disease  problems  militating  against 
the  world's  effort  to  conserve  food  and  clothing  and  includ- 
ing diseases  communicable  from  animal  to  man. 


Small  Animal  Operating  Room 

4 


Present  Shortage  of  Veterinarians 

Another  reason  why  veterinary  medicine  offers  unusual 
attraction  for  young  men  with  proper  equipment,  inclination 
for  science  and  a  desire  to  render  public  service,  is  its  com- 
parative newness  as  a  recognized  profession  and  very  apparent 
shortage  of  men  of  combined  scientific  and  practical  training; 
the  shortage,  never  as  accentuated  as  today,  will  for  years  to 
come,  produce  a  demand  far  in  excess  of  any  available  supply. 
Many  factors  other  than  the  cited  emphasis  on  husbandry 
have  operated  in  the  shortage:  The  recent  call  for  men  for 
army  service  taking  some  25%  from  civil  life  and  college 
courses  and  to  which  not  all  will  return,  from  this  college 
alone  over  80%  of  graduates  of  the  past  six  years  entered 
service  during  the  World  War;  the  recently  adopted  high 
standard  of  education  requirement,  making  four  years  of 
high  school  work  prerequisite  for  entering  upon  the  veterinary 
course;  the  shortage  of  students  and  closing  of  many  colleges 
heretofore  furnishing  the  annual  supply,  the  former  in  many 
instances  only  50%  of  normal;  increase  in  number  of  commu- 
nicable diseases  as  production  has  been  intensified  and, 
finally,  remarkable  increase  in  the  field  of  opportunity  for 
efficient,  trained  veterinarians. 

Fields  of  Opportunity 

Following  are  some  of  the  fields  for  opportunity  for  the 
graduate  veterinarian: 


Pharmacy  Laboratory 

5 


General  Practice.  Though  motor  power  has  considerably 
supplanted  the  horse,  increase  in  both  country  and  city 
work  has,  however,  more  than  compensated.  Contrary  to 
the  predicted  elimination  of  the  horse  their  number  and 
value  continue  to  increase;  moreover,  the  stimulation  and 
importance  of  the  live  stock  industry,  the  increasing 
demand  to  treat  diseases  among  all  classes  of  animals  and 
the  fact  that  stock  holders  are  becoming  better  informed 
assures  attractive  income  for  skilled  men  entering  the  field 
of  general  veterinary  practice. 

Government  Inspection  Service.  The  Bureau  of  Animal  Indus- 
try, United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  employs 
over  1700  graduate  veterinarians  as  meat  inspectors;  for 
laboratory  and  quarantine  work,  and  in  disease  control 
problems.  Following  graduation  from  an  accredited 
veterinary  college  and  competitive  civil  service  examination 
the  initial  salary  is  $1500  and  through  advancement  ranges 
as  high  as  $3500  annually. 

U.  S.  Army  Service.  Through  competitive,  physical  and 
professional  examination  the  graduate  veterinarian  may 
enter  the  Army  Veterinary  Corps  with  rank  and  allowances 
of  second  lieutenant  ($1700)  and  thereafter  receive  ad- 
vancement to  rank  of  major. 

State  Service.  Nearly  every  state  maintains  a  sanitary  or 
veterinary  organization  for  control  of  animal  disease, 
requiring  graduate  veterinarians  for  the  work.  The  com- 
pleteness of  these  organizations  varies  much  as  does  the 
number  of  veterinarians   employed. 


Laboratory  Diagnosis 


As  Educators.  There  exists  a  continual  demand  for  instruc- 
tors in  veterinary  and  agricultural  colleges;  the  recent 
demand  has  exceeded  the  supply. 

Research  and  Extension  Service.  State  and  Federal  Expe- 
riment Stations  employ  qualified  veterinarians  for  technical 
and  literary  work  incidental  to  animal  disease  control  and 
eradication  problems. 

City  Veterinarians.  Many  cities  employ  veterinarians  as 
members  of  city  health  boards  or  as  food  inspectors  for 
enforcement  of  sanitary  regulations  and  to  supervise 
inspection  of  the  milk  and  food  supplies.  Some  of  these 
appointments  are  controlled  by  civil  service  competitive 
examinations. 

Commercial  Wor\.  Veterinarians  find  employment  as  sales- 
men, advisors  with  large  holding  companies,  live  stock 
concerns,  pharmaceutical  and  biologic  laboratories  or  as 
experts  in  the  preparation  of  vaccines,  antitoxins  and 
serum  manufacture  all  of  which  are  exploited  for  cure  and 
control  of  disease. 

Veterinarians  on  Stocl(  Farms.  Extensive  breeding  stock  and 
dairy  farms  have  found  it  not  only  advantageous  but  often 
times  necessary  to  employ  skilled  veterinarians  to  super- 
vise the  sanitary  and  hygienic  conditions  surrounding  the 
problems  of  their  live  stock  industry. 


Large  Animal  Ward 

7 


The  foregoing  and  other  desirable  opportunities  call  for  and 
demand  high  educational  standards  and  scientific  attain- 
ments sufficient  to  guarantee  an  individual  with  ability 
competent  to  cope  with  and  measure  up  to  the  ever  ad- 
vancing requirements. 


Advantages  of  M.  A.  C. 

The  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  the  oldest  State 
Agricultural  College  in  America  and  one  of  ten  accredited 
state  veterinary  colleges  in  the  United  States,  is  offering 
specially  attractive  opportunities  in  its  veterinary  course; 
this,  because  of  the  intimate  relation  with  the  other  science 
and  industrial  courses  of  the  campus,  especially  the  animal 
and  dairy  husbandry  courses  of  the  agricultural  division. 

Degrees 

The  college  offers  a  four  year  undergraduate  course  in 
veterinary  medicine  leading  to  the  degree,  Doctor  of  Veteri- 
nary Medicine  and,  also,  postgraduate  work  for  the  degree  of 
M.  S.  V.;  supported  by  both  Federal  and  State  resources  it  is 
rendered  competent  to  furnish  a  high  type  of  scholastic  work 
unhampered  by  a  dependence  upon  charges  for  student 
tuition. 


Physiology  Laboratory 


Faculty  and  Courses 

The  faculty  of  the  Veterinary  Division  includes  a  dean, 
together  with  veterinarians  as  full,  associate  and  assistant 
professors  in  the  departments  of  Medicine  and  Pharmacology, 
Surgery  and  Clinic,  Comparative  Anatomy,  Comparative 
Pathology  and  Bacteriology.  Instruction  in  related  subjects, 
including  Chemistry,  English  and  Public  Speaking,  Zoology, 
Botany,  Physiology,  Animal  Husbandry,  Dairy  Husbandry, 
Entomology,  Physics  and  Military  Science,  is  furnished  by 
other  divisions  of  the  college  and  at  all  times  electives  are 
available  for  upper-classmen. 

Equipment 

All  departments  of  the  college  are  adequately  equipped 
with  laboratory  and  necessary  facilities  essential  for  modern 
and  efficient  work. 

Clinic  Facilities 
Michigan  with  over  $200,000,000  invested,  is  essentially 
a  live  stock  producing  state  and  hence  the  college,  located  in 
the  heart  of  a  farming  community  together  with  being  adja- 
cent to  the  capital  city  and  maintaining  a  number  of  types  of 
livestock,   is  afforded   abundant  opportunity  for  excellent 


A  Corner  in  one  of  the  Operating  Rooms 
9 


clinical  material  and  variety  of  diseased  conditions.  The 
college  veterinary  hospital  clinic,  in  a  building  especially 
designed  for  the  purpose,  and  also  the  out — or  ambulatory- 
clinic  are  conducted  for  giving  actual  experience  and  student 
contact  with  sick  or  injured  animals. 

Library 

The  college  library  and  state  library  located  in  the  adja- 
cent capitol,  with  which  the  former  is  now  associated,  offers 
rare  opportunities  for  book  and  periodical  reading. 

Military  Science 

Military  science  is  required  of  all  freshmen  and  sophomore 
students.  Besides  the  infantry  drill,  arrangements  have  been 
completed  with  the  Federal  Government  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  cavalry  school.  This  will  be  offered  as  an  elective 
to  students  of  the  institution  and  a  permanent  consignment 
of  an  adequate  number  of  horses  will  be  available  for  this 
work. 

Tuition  Fees 

For  residents  of  the  State  of  Michigan  tuition  is  free,  non- 
residents $  1 5  per  term ;  besides  this  are  the  various  laboratory, 
gymnasium  and  incidental  fees  together  with  costs  for  board 
and  room  all  approximating  $260.00  a  year.  Text  books  and 
necessary  supplies  may  be  purchased  at  the  college  book 
store. 

Admission 

A  student  must  be  at  least  17  years  of  age;  a  graduate  of 
an  approved  high  school  or,  at  least,  able  to  show  15  accept- 
able units  of  preparatory  work  and  without  diploma  may  be 
admitted  upon  examination;  students  may  be  admitted  with 
not  more  than  two  conditional  units,  such  conditions  to  be 
satisfied  before  the  junior  year. 
10 


Opening  Date 

The  regular  college  year  begins  the  last  week  in  September 
and  continues  for  nine  months. 

Send  for  Catalogue 

For  complete  and  further  information  relative  to  ad- 
mission, board  and  rooming  facilities  or  other  matters  a 
communication  addressed  to  the  college  Registrar  or  to 
the  Dean  of  Veterinary  Medicine,  East  Lansing,  Michi- 
gan, making  application  for  a  catalogue  will  receive  prompt 
attention. 


\v 


3  0112  105875907 

JLJLCIU      JLO        JL    JLIV^ 


Michigan  Agricultural 
College 

It  is  a  land  grant  institution  and  is  supported  by 
both  the  State  and  National  governments. 

Its  courses  are  scientific  and  practical,  special  em- 
phasis being  placed  on  the  science  as  related  to 
Agriculture,  Engineering,  Home  Economics,  Forestry 
and  Veterinary  Medicine. 

It  is  a  good  wholesome  place  to  spend  four  years 
of  college  life  — a  beautiful  campus,  social  advantages, 
good  moral  atmosphere,  with  a  loyal  student  body. 

It  has  complete  heating,  lighting,  and  water  plants, 
thus  providing  all  the  comforts  of  the  modern  home. 
Located  outside  the  city  three  miles,  it  is  free  from 
the  disagreeable  features  often  experienced  by  those 
colleges  within  the  limits  of  the  larger  cities. 

It  is  an  institution  which  attempts  to  serve  the 
whole  people.  Four  year  courses  for  the  high 
school  graduate;  eight  week  winter  courses  for  the 
busy  farmer  and  the  housewife;  sixteen  week  courses 
for  those  who  are  able  to  spend  a  longer  period  of 
time;  and  through  the  Extension  Division  the  College 
seeks  to  help  the  farmer  by  personal  visits,  one  week 
schools  in  central  localities,  and  by  public  demon- 
strations on  the  various  Michigan  farms. 

It  is  an  institution  which  seeks  the  co-operation 
of  every  citizen  of  the  state. 

Write!for  catalog  giving  full  information  concern- 
ing the  various  courses  to  the  President,  East  Lansing, 
Michigan. 


